Eligibility having lived abroad
Hi, I am looking for advice. I am training to be a teacher, having started the course in September. I should be eligible for a bursary, but to prove my eligibility I was required to apply to SFE. I did this in June. 5 months later, still no resolution. In that time SFE have taken up to 6 weeks sometimes to request evidence, at some points the same evidence that has already been submitted with a cover letter. The details of my application are: I am a dual national British-Australian. I lived in the UK until the end of 2021, but lived in Australia temporarily from December 2021 - August 2022. Therefore, I had been living in the UK for 25 months prior to the start of my course, rather than the required 36. However, as my absence was temporary I should still be eligible for student finance and therefore the bursary. The evidence that SFE have asked for and received is as follows:
My British birth certificate and passport
A letter signed by my employer in Australia stating that my employment was temporary
A letter signed by my husband's employer stating that his employment in Australia was temporary
Flight details documenting our return
Bank statements demonstrating that we maintained a British bank account for the duration of our time in Australia, and British financial obligations.
The last thing I heard from SFE was a request for my husband's temporary work contract (provided) and whether we owned a property in the UK while we were away, which we did not. My question is: provided that all of that evidence is provided, will they need any more evidence to approve my eligibility for finance? This is having a severely detrimental effect on my mental health. I have been advised that I cannot talk to the assessment teams, and there is no indication when this will be resolved. I am liable for the full course fee if I continue past 1st December. When I applied in June, I had no idea that this could take approaching 6 months to resolve.
My British birth certificate and passport
A letter signed by my employer in Australia stating that my employment was temporary
A letter signed by my husband's employer stating that his employment in Australia was temporary
Flight details documenting our return
Bank statements demonstrating that we maintained a British bank account for the duration of our time in Australia, and British financial obligations.
The last thing I heard from SFE was a request for my husband's temporary work contract (provided) and whether we owned a property in the UK while we were away, which we did not. My question is: provided that all of that evidence is provided, will they need any more evidence to approve my eligibility for finance? This is having a severely detrimental effect on my mental health. I have been advised that I cannot talk to the assessment teams, and there is no indication when this will be resolved. I am liable for the full course fee if I continue past 1st December. When I applied in June, I had no idea that this could take approaching 6 months to resolve.
Reply 1
Hi there. The evidence is reviewed by the team who deal with breaks in residency, so we cannot confirm if they would request more evidence until they have reviewed it, unfortunately. This type of evidence is assessed on a case by case basis, so they may ask for more if they are unable to determine certain factors.
When did you last provide evidence? Thanks, Leah.
When did you last provide evidence? Thanks, Leah.
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